I have a 2008 3.0 ducato based motorhome that i have previously had throttle body issues with around 4 years ago due to water ingress. On that occasion i was able to cure the problem by removing the throttle body, freeing it up and packing with grease between the throttle body and actuator.
Following a period of storage recently the van would not idle and was showing a P0638 Throttle actuator control range/performance (bank 1)fault. I removed the throttle body and found it to be very corroded between the throttle body and actuator and managed to free it up again.
When refitted the van seemed to idle ok but again recorded the P0638 code after repeatedly clearing it with my cheap obd2 tool.
I then removed the throttle body again and split the actuator and cleaned up the corroded internal electrics, the van would not start when i refitted the throttle body. It will fire intermittently for a few seconds when cranked but then stops firing at all. It will then fire again intermittently but not start if the ignition is turned on and off again.
I have since replaced the wahler throttle body and egr control soloniod and also changed the fuel filter and removed and cleaned the egr valve(that was clean and free)but the van still will not start. Could i have caused an ecu fault by messing with the throttle body actuator? The van would always start straight away prior to this, even with the idle issue. The problem has definitely arisen since i tried to sort the old throttle body. Any advise would be greatly appriciated.

Does it run at all.. store a different code

if the throttle actuator is unplugged?

No its exactly the same with the actuator unpluged.
It did run with it unplugged before i messed with the actuator

There are no codes recorded since the throttle body was replaced

adb said:

There are no codes recorded since the throttle body was replaced

Click to expand...

Oh.. possibly generated a different fault then

Do you have MultiECUScan?
I am happy to have bought it....gives good info.

It does have lots of info which may be useful in your diags.

I had a similar problem with my 2006....firing and snuffing.
It turned out to be a blockage in the Turbo intake pipe....

So perhaps disconnect/reconnect all air hoses.
Mine was discovered eventually with a second pair of eyes at my engine bay during engine start. Hoses collapsed.
(Note. MES didn't really help me here...but it is good to have baseline readings now of a proper working engine.)
No problems with engine cranking on my van.
No problems with fuel pump/relay on mine.
You may not have this specific problem. But you may have the engine choking somewhere with a blockage?
Your Starter motor may be worn. Sometimes they can jam when old?

Hi. Just to eliminate it as a possibility, have a look at the air filter and air trunking to make sure you haven't had mice chewing and nesting in there during storage ! Others have had weird faults from this cause.

Hi, thanks for the replies. I have now sorted the problem, it was an ECU fault caused by the faulty throttle body. I used a company called ECU testing who arranged collection of the ECU, diagnosed and repaired the fault and returned the unit in 3 working days for £325.

Far from a cheap fix.. but at least it cured the issue